AMSTERDAM, July 8, 2024
/CNW/ -- A pioneering study, presented today at the ESHRE
40th Annual Meeting in Amsterdam, has revealed that exposure to fine
particulate matter (PM) prior to the retrieval of oocytes during in
vitro fertilisation (IVF) can reduce the odds of achieving a live
birth by almost 40%.
The study analysed PM10 exposure in the two weeks
leading up to oocyte collection, finding that the odds of a live
birth decreased by 38% when comparing the highest quartile of
exposure to the lowest quartile.
Conducted over an eight-year period in Perth, Australia, the research analysed 3,659
frozen embryo transfers from 1,836 patients. The study examined air
pollutant concentrations over four exposure periods prior to oocyte
retrieval (24 hours, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 3 months), with models
created to account for co-exposures.
Increasing PM2.5 exposure in the 3 months prior
to oocyte retrieval was also associated with decreased odds of live
birth, falling from 0.90 in the second quartile to 0.66 in the
fourth quartile.
Importantly, the negative impact of air pollution was observed
despite excellent overall air quality during the study period, with
PM10 and PM2.5 levels exceeding WHO
guidelines on just 0.4% and 4.5% of the study days,
respectively.
Dr Sebastian Leathersich, lead
author of the study, explains, "This is the first study that has
used frozen embryo transfer cycles to separately analyse the
effects of pollutant exposure during the development of eggs and
around the time of embryo transfer and early pregnancy. We could
therefore evaluate whether pollution was having an effect on the
eggs themselves, or on the early stages of pregnancy."
Dr Leathersich furthers, "Even in a part of the world with
exceptional air quality, there is a strong negative correlation
between the amount of air pollution and the live birth rate in
frozen embryo transfer cycles. Minimising pollutant exposure must
be a key public health priority."
Professor Dr Anis Feki, Chair-Elect of ESHRE, comments, "This
important study highlights a significant link between air pollution
and lower IVF success rates, with a notable reduction in live
births associated with higher particulate matter exposure before
oocyte retrieval. These findings emphasise the need for ongoing
attention to environmental factors in reproductive health."
The study abstract will be published today in Human
Reproduction, one of the world's leading reproductive medicine
journals.
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SOURCE ESHRE 40th Annual Meeting